Pillow cover



Sept. 5, 1944.

A. LEVY 2,357,7 9

PILLOW COVER 7 Filed June so, 1942 I7 /7E2RF7HFI/"7 L, Evy

INVENTOR teriously affected by washing.

Patented Sept. 5, 1944 PILLOW COVER Abraham Levy, New York, N. Y.. assignor to Fine Art Apron Co., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of NewYork Application June 30, 1942, Serial No. 449,143

4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to the art of upholstery and beddingand, more particularly, to an improved pillow cover having sanitary andnon-allergic properties.

The usual pillow construction comprising a fabricenvelope composed of arelatively tightly woven ticking having enclosed therein a filling orstuffing composed of down or other resilient material, is well known. Asusually constructed, however. such pillows are open tosomedisadvantages. The fabric envelope or casing is of absorbentmaterial so that the same is easily soiled. It is particularlyunsanitaryin that the casing absorbs body'perspiration from the sleeperusing the same. The casing is difficult to clean properly since properthorough cleaning can only be accomplished by use of water as a solvent.This fact, therefore, requires that the pillow casing be emptied of itsstuifing prior to the washing operation because otherwise the stuifingabsorbs so much moisture that its very difiicult to dry out. The resultof all of this is that as a matter of usual practice, the pillow casingis infrequently cleaned, resulting in acomparatively unsanitarycondition thereof.

Although tightly woven, the ticking permits the passage therethrough ofair and with it minute particles from the stufiing whichmay, andfrequently do, cause extreme discomfort to persons using the pillow whoare allergic to the material with which the pillow is filled.

It is, therefore, one of the principal objects of the present inventionto provide a pillow cover which prevents soil either in the form ofperspiration or otherwise from reaching the pillow itself, and toprevent or inhibit to a large degree the dispersal of allergy producingparticles by and from the filling of the pillow itself.

Although, in accordance with the present invention, the pillow cover isrelatively non absorbent, it is, of course, subject to some soilinginfluences and provision is made for the easy and.

convenient removal of the pillow cover from the pillow casing, for thepurpose of laundering the cover. This convenient removal and replacementof the present pillow cover permits the pillow itself to be exposed toair currents and to sunlight, the effects of which are to increase theresiliency of the filling and to cut down the number of microbes livingin the pillow casing and/or filling. Y

Another object herein lies in the'provision of a pillowcover of the typedescribed which possesses no parts which will be inordinately dele-Another object hereinlies in the provision of pillow cover structurewhich prevents undesirable exposure of the pillow casing,

A still further object herein lies in the provision of a pillow coverstructure which causes forced out air, of the pillow casing under use,to travel a substantially lengthy and circuitous path to the outsideatmosphere.

Another object herein lies in the provision of a novel pillow coverstructure in which means are..provided for filtering the air expelledfrom the pillow casing during normal use of the pillow, the pillowhavinga bellows-like action during use.

Another object herein lies in the provision of secondary disconnectableconnection means which may prolong the useful life of the pillow coverupon the failure or wearing out of the primary disconnectable connectionmeans.

A feature of the invention lies in the fact that by reason of the novelconstruction thereof, the same maybe manufactured at relatively largescale production with a consequent reduction in cost, and widedistribution and use.

These objects and other incidental ends and advantages will more fullyappear in the progress of this disclosure, and be pointed out in theappended claims.

' In the drawing, constituting a material part hereof, similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Fig. -1 is a rear view in perspective of a pillow cover embodying thepresent invention and enclosing a pillow.

Fig. 2 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1, with the closure flap andfilter element in an open and exposed position thereof.

Fig. 3 is a front view in perspective of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view, as might be ,seen from the right endof Fig. 1.

Fig, 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 4 but showing the use of thesecondary disconnectable connection means.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged'fragmentary horizontal sectional view, somewhatschematic in nature, as might be seen from the plane 6-6 on Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view, somewhatschematic in nature, as might be seen from the plane 1-! on Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the front and rear body elements, which areparts of the pillow cover as a whole.

" Fig. 9 is a plan view of the closure flap, which is a part of thepillow cover as a whole.

Fig. is a fragmentary view in perspective showing the method ofattaching one of the disconnectable connector means to the free marginof the rear body element.

In accordance with the invention, the pillow cover generally indicatedby numeral l3, comprises a front body element II, a rear body elementl2, a closure flap |3, a filter element l4, and a primary disconnectableconnection means The front and rear body elements II and |-2-, and alsothe closure flap |3, are composed of a flexible, substantially air-tightsheet material. I have found that the practical. requirements of such amaterial are satisfied by a rayon or cotton.

fabric, impregnated or coated with a fiexible, water-proof plastic, suchas cellulose acetate containing suitable plasticizing agents. Theelements H and I2 may be separate or may be integrated along the foldline IS. The elements II and I2 have edges I! and I8 as well as theedges [9 and connected by stitches in a well-known manner (not shown).The union of'the edges andv I 8 forms the so-called closed longitudinaledge 2|; while the union of the edges l9 and 20 forms the closedvertical edge 22.

The closure fi'ap |3 the preferred configuration of which is best seeninFig. 9, includes an edge 23, top and bottom horizontal free edges 24 and25, and a vertical free edge 26; Secured to the edges 24; 26, and 25 isthe filter element M which is preferably composed of a comparativelyloosely woven, knitted or braided porous tape, the interstices betweenthe meshes or filaments composing the same being of a size sufficienttoallowthe passage therethrough of air under pressure, but beingsmallenough to hinder or obstruct the passage of allergy producingparticles. The filter element |3 may be secured to the edges 24, 26 and25 in any suitable manner, but preferably by a row of stitches 21 (seeFig. 6) which engages both of the free longitudinal edges or. the filterelement with the. edges 24, 26 and 25 therebetween.

The closure flap |3 hasits edge 23secured' to the vertical edge 23 ofthe front body element This connection between the edges 23 and 28 mayoccur as a separate operation, but preferably occurs at the same time.that the reinforcement 29 is put in place. At the same time thereinforcement 29 is put in place, the disconnectable connection means |5are also secured at appropriate positions along the edges 28 and 39 ofthe body elements, II and I2. The disconnectable connectionmeans arearranged in a row in spaced pairs, and since they are all substantiallyuniform, a detailed description of one will sufhce for the rest. Each ofthe pairs 3| of the disconnectable connection means I5 includes a pairof connector elements 32 and; 33; The connector elements are preferablyformed by folding the free longitudinal edges thereof twice uponthemselves and stitching together the first of said folds, namely, thefolds 34 and 35, by a row of stitches 36. This construction is best seenin Fig. 10. The length of each of the elements 32 and 33 is sufficientto permit the elements 32 and 33 to be tied together, preferably in theform of. a bow-knot 31. The inner ends 39 of the connector elements 32and 33 are positioned between the outer portion 38 of the reinforcement29 and the front or rear body element II or l2, as the case may be. Thepairs 3|, are spaced along the vertical edges of the opening 44 suitabledistances, and I have found an inter-bow-knot spacing of four inches tobe connected front and rear body elements.

satisfactory although the first and last bow-knots in the series arebest placed closer to the edge or fold l6 and the edge or fold 2|.

The reinforcement 29 is preferably put on to the edges 28 and 30, withthe reinforcement in one piece, and preferably takes the form of a stripof tape which is folded upon itself to form a binding (U-shaped in crosssection) and is secured in place by means of a row of stitches, said rowof stitches when connected to the front element being indicated bynumeral 40, and when connected to the rear element, being indicated bynumeral 4|. The reinforcement 29, where connected to. the front element,is indicated by numeral 42 and where connected to the rear element,indicated by numeral 43. The front and rear portions 42 and 43,respectively, of the reinforcement 29, delineate an opening 44 whichforms'an entrance or exit for the'pillow 45.

The front and rear portions 42 and 43, respectively, of thereinforcement 29 areprovided with pairs 46 of opposed orifices 41 and48. These orifices may be suitably reinforced with grommets or eyelets49 and 50 through which may be passed the secondary disconnectableconnection means 5| which ma take'the form of a piece of tape 52 ofsuitable length. This tape may be constructed substantiallyidenticalwith the construction described in connection with the connector element32 and shown in Fig. 10. Where the reinforcement 29-, the primarydisconnectable connection means l5, and the secondary disconnectableconnection means 5| are composed of a woven material, it is desirablethat they be formed from material cut on the bias for the purpose ofadditional strength and resiliency.

Operation With the completed pillow cover H3 fabricated as previouslydescribed, the closure flap I3 is opened outwardly of the device so thatthe same presents an appearance similar to that shown in Fig. 2. Thepillow is inserted through the opening 44 and properly positioned withinthe Then, as seen in Fig. 2, the closure flap I3 is inserted between thepillow 45 and the inner surface of the rear' body element l2 until itoccupies a position indicated by the dotted lines on Fig, 1. Next, thepairs 3| of the primary connection means I5 are tied in a row ofbow-knots 31. This completely encloses the pillow 45, it being noted atthis point that the eyelets 49 and are located outwardlyof the lines ofstitches 40 and 4|.

In use, when the pressure of the users head is exerted either againstthe front or rear body elements H or |:2, the volume of air within thepillow 45 is compressed. This air carries with it allergy producingparticles from the filling 53 and passes outwardly through the pillowcasing 54, but this air is prevented from passage through the bodyelements H and I2 and the closure flap t3 by reason of substantiallyair-tight construction thereof. This current of air, in order to becomeexpelled from the pillow cover |0,. must pass through the outwardportion 55 of the filter element M which inhibits passage therethroughof the allergy producing particles, as heretofore described. Thefiltered air then emerges through the relatively small opening 44 (Fig.4). Aside from the filtering action of the filter element l4, saidfilter element together with closure fiap !3 causes the air to take amore circuitous passage in leaving the pillow; cover l0, andthese alsohave a choking effect, acting to reduce the velocity of the air currentsas they leave the pillow. The consequent reduction of turbulence alsoresults in a reduced transmission of the allergic particles to thenostrils of the sleeper.

As previously indicated hereinabove, the pillow cover I is easily washedafter it has been removed from the pillow 45. disconnectable connectionmeans l5 are subject to considerable wear, and it is desirable that theybe not made of hard material which might be uncomfortable if rested uponby the head of the user, they might, in time, wear out. When they do, itbecomes a simple matter to snip them off at the exposed portions of theends 39 and to utilize tapes 52 as the secondary disconnectableconnection means 5|. This usage is shown in Fig. 5. If for any reason itis desired to more tightly close the opening 44', the means l5 and 5|may be used simultaneously.

It may thus be seen that I have provided a novel pillow coverconstruction possessing the advantages of allergy reducing and sanitaryproperties, together with relatively simple, efficient and durableconstruction.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to theexact details of construction shown and described, for obviousmodifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A pillow cover; for use with a pillow having a filler with allergyproducing particles, comprising: a body element composed ofsubstantially air-tight material having an opening through which saidpillow may be inserted or removed; said opening having first and secondedge portions; a closure flap composed of substantially air-tightmaterial, connected to said first edge portion and adapted to be pressedagainst said second edge portion by said pillow; a filter elementdisposed between said closure flap and the inner surface of said bodyelement, said filter element being composed of material havinginterstices of a size sufficient to allow the passage therethrough ofair under pressure and to hinder the passage of allergy producingparticles emanating from said filler.

2. A pillow cover, for use with a pillow, having a filler with allergyproducing particles, comprising: a body element composed ofsubstantially air-tight material having an opening through which saidpillow may be inserted Or removed; said opening having first and secondedge portions; a closure fiap composed of substantially Since theprimary 7 air-tight material, connected to said first edge portion andadapted to be pressed against said second edge portion by said pillow; afilter element disposed between said closure flap and the inner surfaceof said body element, said filter element being composed of materialhaving interstices of a size sufficient to allow the passagetherethrough of air under pressure and to hinder the passage of allergyproducing particles emanating from said filler; and means to detachablyinterconnect said first and second edges.

3. A pillow cover, for use with a pillow having a filler with allergyproducing particles, comprising: a body element composed ofsubstantially air-tight material having an opening through which saidpillow may be inserted or removed; said opening having first and secondedge portions; a closure fiap composed of substantially air-tightmaterial, connected to said first edge portion and adapted tobe pressedagainst said second edge portion by said pillow; a filter elementdisposed between said closure flap and the inner surface of said bodyelement, said filter element being composed of a fabric tape foldedabout the free edges of said closure flap and secured thereto, said tapebeing formed of loosely connected meshes, the meshes having intersticestherebetween which are of a size sufiicient to allow the passagetherethrough of air under pressure and to obstruct the passage ofallergy producing particles.

4. A pillow cover, for use with a pillow, having a filler with allergyroducing particles, comprising: a body element composed of substantiallyair-tight material having an opening through which said pillow may beinserted or removed; said opening having first and second edge portions;a closure flap composed of substantially air-tight material, connectedto said first edge portion and adapted to be pressed against said secondedge portion by said pillow; a filter element disposed between saidclosure fiap and the inner surface of said body element, said filterelement being composed of a fabric tape folded about the free edges ofsaid closure flap and secured thereto, said tape being formed of looselyconnected meshes, the meshes having interstices therebetween which areof a size suflicient to allow the passage therethrough of air underpressure and to obstruct the passage of allergy producing particles; andmeans to detachably interconnect said first and second edges.

' ABRAHAM LEVY.

